Magic Shop - Paul Lahote FF

Twenty Three

"Caroline!"

I don't know who's yelling.

"Oh my - Barry! Call an ambulance!"

Why do we need an ambulance. And what the hell is that noise?

"Caroline, sweetie. Can you hear me?"

I'm screaming. That's what the noise is. But, why?

"They'll be here soon. Dr. Cullen will be there when we arrive. Shit, look at her arm. What the hell bit her?"

The words trigger something, and suddenly the pain hits me with full force. My arm, it's burning. Like every nerve is on fire. Like someone is cutting my skin open with a knife and pouring acid onto the exposed flesh.

Mother brushes hair away from my forehead and I scream at the contact. Everywhere hurts. Everything hurts. My arm, my head, my throat, my chest. All I feel is pain.

"How are the paramedics going to lift her onto the stretcher? She screamed and I barely even touched her." I think mom sounds frightened, but everything is blurring together and nothing makes sense.

"There's nothing else to do."

Their voices fade away, but it's like I can feel the vibrations from their speaking in my head. Multiple pairs of hands touch my skin, and my throat aches as I scream. Their touch scorches my flesh and I'm almost certain I will have their handprints permanently burned onto my body.

I'm vaguely aware of being carried down the stairs and into the ambulance. Both my parents ride with me. I think Dad is the one holding my hand.

There's more shouting as I'm being carried out of the ambulance. A pair of golden eyes bore into mine, a cold hand resting on my forehead. I'm too tired and in too much pain to care that Dr. Cullen is this close to me.

"We love you, Caroline." Is the last thing I hear before a mask is placed over my mouth and my eyes close.

~~~~~~

The absence of pain is what wakes me. That and the incessant beeping from the heart monitor. But I'm not in a hospital room. This room is painted a pale pink. Expensive furniture is pushed against the wall. A mirror hangs on the wall in front of me, and I gasp when I see my reflection.

Without thinking, I'm suddenly inches from the mirror. How did I get here so fast? My thoughts stray to my appearance. My once blue eyes are now a brilliant gold. My hair has brightened, every strand of hair curled perfectly. The blemishes on my face are gone.

Someone coughs and I let out a small yelp. The glass on the mirror begins to crack, the broken pieces falling to the floor. The person - Jasper, I realize - stands next to me and gazes at the mirror in wonder. "Supersonic scream." His voice is full of amazement. "That's incredible."

I continue to stare at myself in the broken pieces. "What's wrong with me? Where are my parents?"

"Carlisle moved you here yesterday morning. He convinced your parents he had equipment that would be too challenging to transfer to the hospital. They went home a few hours ago to rest." It's then I realize the room is dark. "You're not a vampire." Jasper answers the question I didn't want to ask. "We thought you were at first, so we put some animal blood into your system in hopes it would wake you, but your body rejected it. We tried human blood, but the same thing happened." I stiffen at the thought of having to live off blood for the rest of this life. Jasper slowly reaches out to grab my right arm, turning it over so the scars are visible.

Directly on top of the claw marks is a mouth bite. "I believe the venom from the scars and the venom from the bite...fought in a way. Neither were strong enough to fully take over, so there's not enough vampire venom to fully turn you. You have the appearance of a vampire along with the speed, strength, and apparently an ability, but you do not desire blood." A new voice cuts in. Dr. Cullen stands in the doorway with arms clasped in front of him. "Your heart continues to beat, but at a much slower pace. So slow, it took us quite some time to realize it was still beating." So there's a possibility I could continue aging.

"This happened because of the army, didn't it?" Dr. Cullen nods and steps further into the room. Julian told me I wasn't safe. If only I had listened. "When can I go home?"

The two share a quick look, one that I am now able to catch. "We believe it would be smarter for you to remain here for a few weeks so we can make sure no other...symptoms develop overtime." I know exactly what Jasper means. They want to make sure I don't begin craving blood. "Until you are deemed able to return home, we will continue telling your parents you are not awake. We'll find ways to prevent them from coming to visit."

Great, so I'm in hiding and can't see my family. And I might have to live off blood. Yippee. "What about Paul?" Does he even know I was in the hospital?

"He is aware of your condition." Dr. Cullen smiles tightly at me. "We were waiting for you to awake to have him over. It might be easier to test your resistance to blood around him."

I find myself shaking my head. Paul doesn't like vampires. How will he react to me?

"Can it wait? I don't want to see anyone yet."

Idk any thing bout wolf/vampire venom but this what I'm saying.

Also what Caroline really is will be revealed in a few chapters and it's gonna be devastating